A year into President Peter Mutharika’s rule, some Zomba City residents say only about 30 percent of his first year has met their expectations.
Malawi on Wednesday marks one year since voters went to the polls on September 16, 2025, to elect a new President, members of Parliament and local government councillors.
But for some residents in Zomba City, the first year of Mutharika’s administration has fallen short of the changes they expected.
The residents rated Mutharika’s first year in office at just 30 percent, saying about 70 percent of the administration’s performance has fallen short of their expectations.
Among others, cited persistent power cuts, taxes and continued challenges in public service delivery as some of the main reasons for their assessment.
A vox pop with some residents operating businesses in Mpondabwino, Chikanda, Falkland and surrounding areas found that frequent electricity outages remain one of their biggest challenges.
They said businesses such as barbershops, welding workshops and maize mills depend on electricity to operate and make income.
“When there is no electricity, we cannot work, and this means we lose money,” said one of the residents who asked for anonymity.
They also expressed concern over the introduction and increase of taxes on essential goods and services.
According to the residents, the taxes are making life harder for low-income people who are already struggling to meet their basic needs.
They have therefore appealed to government to remove some taxes on essential goods to ease the financial pressure on households.
The residents also questioned why people should continue paying taxes when some essential public services remain under pressure.
They cited shortages of medicines in public hospitals as one of the issues that need urgent attention.
Some residents said they have not seen significant differences between Mutharika’s administration and the previous administration of Lazarus Chakwera, which ended on September 16, 2025.
They said poor people continue to struggle financially, while some of the changes they expected after the change of government have not materialised.
“We are asking the government to remove taxes on essential goods and ensure that electricity supply is reliable,” another resident said.
However, some other residents acknowledged some improvements during Mutharika’s first year.
They cited the availability of food in many areas, relatively stable prices of some goods and improved availability of sugar compared with the situation they experienced under Chakwera.
Mutharika returned to the presidency after winning the September 2025 presidential election on a Democratic Progressive Party ticket, defeating Chakwera and other contenders.
